In 1977 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) deleted the exemption that allowed Alaska Eskimos to harvest the bowhead whale. This sparked considerable controversy. The IWC had not previously exerted authority over aboriginal whaling. The Eskimos responded by forming the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC). Protests by the whalers led to the establishment of a quota system still in effect today. In response to pressures from the IWC and other outside agencies, the AEWC developed its own Management Plan for bowhead harvests. In 1981, this was incorporated into a Cooperative Agreement between the AEWC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a Federal agency. Management authority and administration are delegated to the AEWC, and this system has worked effectively. The AEWC has also made great strides in increasing the efficiency of the harvest, through whaling workshops and through weapons improvemenis. The challenge ahead is to protect bowhead habitat from the effects of offshore industrial activity, primarily oil and gas exploration. This paper examines the formation of the AEWC, its development as an institution, its management of Eskimo whaling, and the implications for other local wildlife management regimes.